


Still Breathing

by PrinceSkylar



Series: Taking Care Of Things [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But who doesnt, Friendship, Gen, Kankuro loves Akamaru, Kazekage Gaara (Naruto), M/M, Old Friends, Slow Burn, Suna Village, cause thats important, mentions of narutos wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 04:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13849875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceSkylar/pseuds/PrinceSkylar
Summary: He gained a few interested looks as he made his way through the city, people unused to seeing a giant dog following a Leaf shinobi through their streets. Kiba waved to some of the people he passed, very vaguely remembering how when he was a little boy Suna was known for being vile, cruel, and scary. It was probably true back then, had been true when he was a kid taking the Chunin exams. These people didn't look scary now, though. Tough, like they weren't afraid to put him in his place if he stepped out line, sure, but not scary. Times have changed, though. Konoha and Suna hadn't been close allies back then, not like they were now. Up until his Chunin exams when he was a kid Kiba had only really heard stories about the Suna natives, all stories that didn't paint the best mental image for impressionable kids.His dad moved here around the time Suna and Konoha were still tense, making him wonder.. Maybe he figured Tsume, or any other angry Inuzuka, wouldn't put the delicate ties between the two villages at risk just to drag him back to Konoha. Kind of a smart idea. Cowardly, but smart.Kiba arrives in Suna, unaware of how not ready he is for all of this.





	Still Breathing

**Author's Note:**

> Another section done. So Kankuro's around in this now, so we're gonna start diving into some feelings for both of them with different topics. Relationships, Dad's, siblings...all that stuff. Getting more into a slow burn romance, while working up to the stuff with Kiba's dad.  
> Thanks to all of you enjoying this series so far!

By the time trees and grass gave way to miles and miles of sand, Kiba was sweaty and smelled like he hadn't bathed in a week. The desert sun wasn't going to help at  _all._  This was the worst part about traveling to Suna if you asked him;  _sweating_. And the sand that got in between his toes, that was kind of annoying too. Luckily there wasn't much farther to go with the speed they were going. A couple of hours tops. He almost wanted to sob with relief, really, but not just yet. He was still too far, they were getting low on water, and they'd eaten the last of Tsume's jerky the previous night.

A shower, a real bed, and some food that wasn't in a foil package sounded perfect to him right now. He had to force those thoughts out of his head for now, though, unless he wanted these last couple hours to stretch on for an entire life time. Which he absolutely did not. Akamaru was trotting along with him as they ran, sand kicking up behind them in a cloud of dust. Akamaru would need a bath too now that he thought about it; there was gonna be sand embedded in his fur after this for sure...which meant he'd need a bath once they got back to Konoha, too. Damn. At least Akamaru liked baths so that would be easy to handle in under an hour.

Kiba slowed to a gentle job, before he had stopped altogether, hands braced on his knees as he panted for breath. Even the air going into his lungs burned and dried his mouth out. He was panting almost as loud as Akamaru, who had laid in the sand for a moment of rest. He looked pathetic, sprawled in the sand with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, paws coated in dust and sand. Kiba snorted softly at him, shrugging off his backpack as he knelt down next to him. "We're almost there, you're doing great Akamaru. I know it's hot."

He dug around in the backpack with one hand, batting away the discarded food packages and the plastic baggie the jerky had been in before his hand finally closed around his water canteen. He pulled it out and gave it a shake, lips turning down in a frown as he heard how much empty space was in the container; they were on their last bit of water. He had been sure there was more. Sparing a glance at poor over heated, panting Akamaru, Kiba sighed a bit as he pulled out Akamaru's small water dish he brought on their missions, setting in the sand next to Akamaru's panting mouth. "Okay, big guy, here you go. Drink up."

Akamaru knew Kiba was pouring the last of the water into the water dish for him and he whined softly, pushing the bowl towards Kiba's feet with his nose. Kiba shook his head and slid the bowl back to him, reaching down to gently scratch behind one of Akamaru's ears. "You take it, Akamaru. I'll be fine for a few more hours."

If he had known it was going to be  _this_  hot he would have prepared better. He wasn't stupid, but the only times he'd ever gone to Suna on missions had been in the winter, when even the desert was cool enough to grace them with a breeze as they traveled through it. But this was summer and heat had reached it's peak, not a single breeze blowing through to give him even a moment of release. At least he had timed the journey right; two and a half days, only a handful of hours spend in the unyielding desert sun. Maybe this was a sign that he had to try and go on more Suna-centered missions in the future, build up his heat resistance again.

Akamaru was lapping up the water without any hesitation when Kiba snapped out of his thoughts. Good. As long as Akamaru was hydrated Kiba would be fine. It wasn't like Kiba could carry Akamaru all the way to Suna if anything happened, or if the poor dog passed out.

...Well he  _could_  carry Akamaru if he really had to, but that didn't mean he  _should_.

When Akamaru had licked the bowl dry, barking at Kiba once and wagging his tail, Kiba tossed the bowl and the empty canteen into his backpack. He slung the bag back onto his shoulders and sighed, hands on his hips as he looked back at Akamaru. "Alright buddy, now that we caught our breath let's go. Just a bit further. Next time we come to Suna it won't be during summer."

Even though he hadn't gotten to drink any water, catching his breath had made his body feel a little less sore and when they took off again, it didn't feel that bad. He could blame it on wanting to spite the heat, though. Some of his best achievements had been reached out of spite. He got it from his mom, he figured. He had several clear memories of her doing things, and doing them  _well_ , when people said she couldn't. Raising two kids and all those dogs on her own was one of those things. He couldn't even count on both hands the number of people who had expressed their surprise at Tsume's ability to raise him and Hana all by herself, all people Kiba had wanted to snarl at. Tsume had been a great mom and if they wanted to be fucking technical it wasn't like she had been  _entirely_  alone. They had other Inuzuka Clan members who had stepped up to help Tsume when she needed it. It wasn't like Tsume did things on her own because the Clan didn't want to help her; Inuzukas  _always_  looked after their pack, extended family or not. Tsume just preferred to do things on her own, preferred to be the one holding her kids close when they were afraid or sick. Kiba had plenty of memories of other Inuzuka members babysitting for them, mostly when Hana was too sick to watch Kiba on her own when Tsume was gone. The Clan took care of them, even if Tsume had fought tooth and nail to do things on her own as often as possible.

Tsume was one of the best role models Kiba had ever had.

* * *

He was stopped at the entrance to Suna, two Jonin dressed in clothes that looked way too hot for the weather coming up to him. He didn't recognize any of them, not that he expected to in the first place, and he slid the backpack off of his shoulders. "Afternoon, guys."

"Afternoon. Ya look hot." One of the guys, a short guy with hair the same color as the sand, cackled softly. "Fuck ton hotter out here than it is in Konoha, ain't it?"

"It's god awful," Kiba agreed, unzipping the small front pocket of the backpack, pulling out the scroll Kakashi had given him. He held it out the the group, watching the same sand-haired guy take it. "I give you guys credit, man. I think I've sweated off a couple pounds."

"This isn't even the hottest day of the year." This guy was taller than Kiba, dressed in yellow and long sleeves, with his black hair pulled out of his face in a high ponytail. He crossed his arms and Kiba saw his gaze shift to Akamaru. "Big dog. He bite?"

"Only if you give him a reason to." Kiba shrugged, smiling a little bit as he slung his backpack over his shoulder again. Jonin who wanted to pet his dog, were they  _that_  bored keeping their eyes on the desert all day? He couldn't blame them.

Pony tail guy held his hand out to Akamaru, letting Akamaru sniff him a little bit barking softly, tail wagging excitedly at the thought of a stranger's affection. Kiba side eyed the man for a second while he pet Akamaru, before his gaze shifted back to the sand-haired man reading over the scroll. It was a clearance letter, nothing more, assuring them that Kakashi knew he was there and that the Kazekage was expecting him. Strictly business, even if Akamaru flopping into the sand to get his belly rubbed wasn't professional.  _Cute_ , but not professional.

Sand-haired guy nodded a bit and grinned, a smile that lit up his whole face much like Naruto's. "You're all good to go, I think. Do you need an escort to the Kazekage's office?"

"Not unless you guys moved it." Kiba drawled, waving a dismissive hand. "I can find it. Thanks." He looked back at Akamaru, scoffing at the way the dog's leg kicked at the air as his belly was scratched by this, apparently, dog loving Jonin. Absolutely unprofessional, that dog. "C'mon, Akamaru."

Akamaru bolted to his feet, licking all over the sand-nin's face for a second before he was trotting after Kiba through the entrance of Suna. Suna was bigger, it seemed, than Kiba remembered. It stretched on for ages and despite the sand and the heat he had to admit that it was a gorgeous village. He admitted the architecture more than most other things. Where Konoha was expansive and huge, with sloped roofs or roofs that pointed up at the sky and patches of land on the outskirts for the larger clans, Suna had rounded buildings for enduring the sandstorms and it was clustered, almost, with everything close together. Every main path led to the Kazekage's building, though, right in the center of it all.

He knew a lot of people who thought Suna was an ugly place, too dry and hot and lacking in color. While he could understand the complaints about the heat he couldn't sympathize with the complaints about anything else. It seemed kind of ignorant to turn your nose down on Suna's design if you considered it's location and the weather. Hell, half the people in Konoha wouldn't have been able to survive more than two weeks in Suna, he was sure.

He gained a few interested looks as he made his way through the city, people unused to seeing a giant dog following a Leaf shinobi through their streets. Kiba waved to some of the people he passed, very vaguely remembering how when he was a little boy Suna was known for being vile, cruel, and scary. It was probably true back then, had been true when he was a kid taking the Chunin exams. These people didn't look scary now, though. Tough, like they weren't afraid to put him in his place if he stepped out line, sure, but not  _scary_. Times have changed, though. Konoha and Suna hadn't been close allies back then, not like they were now. Up until his Chunin exams when he was a kid Kiba had only really heard stories about the Suna natives, all stories that didn't paint the best mental image for impressionable kids.

His dad moved here around the time Suna and Konoha were still tense, making him wonder.. Maybe he figured Tsume, or any other angry Inuzuka, wouldn't put the delicate ties between the two villages at risk just to drag him back to Konoha. Kind of a smart idea. Cowardly, but smart. He 'd have to ask what the hell the man was thinking when he chose Suna, of all places.

He was walking through the main market place, where the stores and the street merchants were. He could smell something good in the air, the scent of meat and spices blending together over a grill. His stomach growled a little, stirred by the scent, and he almost had to laugh. He was weak to Suna food even if he'd only been here a few times. Suna specialized in spicy food that left your eyes watering and your throat on fire and it was Kiba's favorite thing to indulge in here. Whenever Temari made trips back to Suna she always brought back spicy curry or something else for Kiba at his request, knowing he lived for the spice. He'd go broke while he was here, he could already tell. He walked a little faster, offering polite smiles to the vendors trying to call him over for a sample of their food, but he caved all too soon when a little girl blocked his path, hands on her hips and her short blond hair messy and wild.

"Are you a Leaf Ninja?" She asked, looking up at Kiba with curios green eyes.

Kiba smiled a little bit, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I am."

"You were traveling a lot then, you're hungry!" She didn't seem to be taking no for an answer. Her hand grabbed onto the end of Kiba's jacket and she veered him to the left and into a booth, where a man had a grill lined with cooking meat behind the counter. Kiba could already smell the spices and it made his mouth water as his eyes looked over the assortment of food, before he looked back at the little girl. She waved a hand around to catch the cook's attention. "Dad! Dad look, a Leaf ninja!"

The cook was a big bearded man, probably Kiba's height. He looked up, flipping meat on the grill, and fixed Kiba with a grin so wide it actually caught him off guard. "You just roll in, Kid?"

"Yeah, just got here." Kiba nodded, smiling a bit as he watched the little girl move to Akamaru, her interest in Kiba forgotten. Akamaru certainly didn't mind the extra affection.

"Must be hungry." The man noted and Kiba noticed him fishing out a plate for him a few seconds too late. "Sit, you need some real food in your stomach."

"Oh, ah, that's really okay." Kiba insisted, but the man was already putting ribs onto his plate, ribs Kiba knew were coated in a spicy barbecue sauce he loved. "I don't know how much money I have-"

"On the house." The man insisted, setting the plate down on the counter. "Sit, boy. Your dog can have some too if he likes hot stuff."

Well at least  _Akamaru_  didn't have any arguments. He barked loudly, happily, and Kiba was powerless to argue anymore. He sat down with a resigned sigh, a fond smile on his lips as the little girl took another plate from her dad and set it down on the ground for Akamaru. It wasn't even meat scraps they were giving him, it was an actual chunk of barbecue sauce-covered beef. Spoiled by complete strangers.

"So you here on business or did you decide to vacation in the desert in the middle of summer?" The cook asked as he set down a glass of water beside Kiba's plate. Then he went back to his grill, turning the meat that was still cooking.

"Business." Kiba replied, downing the water before he touched anything else. God, water tasted so good right now.

"Figured." The man chuckled gruffly. "Most Leaf ninja don't come to Suna for a vacation. Too hot for you guys, shinobi or not."

"Yeah, hot is an understatement." Kiba smiled a little bit, tearing into the ribs like a man who hadn't eaten in weeks. The spice was strong, like he was hoping, and he groaned softly as he chewed the meat. "I've only been to Suna in the winter, never the middle of summer-this meat is  _great_ , by the way. Practically falls right off the bone."

"Gotta love a kid that can appreciate good meat." The man cackled with a small shake of his head. "Thank you. If you've only been here in the winter then you're definitely gonna be miserable. Ain't got much of a breeze here in the summer time like we do any other season. Sometimes we get summer rain but that's maybe once during the season. Make sure you drink a lot of water, your dog too."

"Thanks, we will." Kiba assured him with a firm nod. From the corner of his eye he saw the little girl grab his water, running off behind the counter to refill it. It made him smile a little bit and when she came back he took the glass from her, taking a sip and setting it down again. "I should thank you for dragging me in here, Little Lady. Akamaru and I have been pretty hungry the past couple of hours."

A wide and proud grin broke out onto her lips. "You're welcome! Whenever we have visitors I always bring them here. Dad makes the best ribs in the village."

"She saw your dog and could barely sit still." Her dad chimed in. "She loves dogs."

"Oh yeah?" Kiba grinned back down at the girl, tilting his head a little. "Do you have a dog of your own?"

"Not yet." She admitted with a small shake of her head. "None of the dog breeders here have puppies right now."

Humming softly, Kiba nodded little bit. "Well Akamaru here is a proud dad of  _four_  awesome puppies that'll probably grow up to be as big and nice as he is." He glanced over at the girl's father. "I can give you the information to get a hold of my Mom back in Konoha. She probably wouldn't even charge you for one of the pups if you guys are interested in getting a dog...We breed them, and they're all healthy and well behaved."

The girl's father blinked in surprise at him and, for a split second, Kiba was worried he'd gotten this little girl's hopes up just to have her father shoot the idea down. He didn't even know these people and was running his mouth already. His heart flooded with relief when he saw the man smile at him, though, and he relaxed a little bit when the man started speaking again. "That's not a bad idea. We've been looking into getting a dog for a while now but the breeders didn't breed this year. Lost half their stud males to some virus."

Kiba's nose crinkled a bit as he scowled. "That weird dog flu that was going around, right? We had it in Konoha for a while, about two years ago."

"Something like that, yeah." He nodded, wiping his hands on his cooking apron as he stepped away from the grill to lean on the counter across from Kiba. "It was awful. Almost all the males our village breeders had got the virus, lot of them didn't make it. They didn't wanna breed any of the males or females that were sick so they didn't breed at all."

"That's awful." Kiba remembered vividly when the weird dog flu cases started to flood Hana's clinic. Hana had been over flooded with work constantly, staying late and taking care of all the dogs that were in pain, that were throwing up or couldn't eat. Kiba had been there to help her of course, but it hadn't made seeing those dogs in pain any easier on either of them.

He sighed and took another drink from his glass of water. "Crazy how much we don't know about canine illnesses. My sister's the one who made the vaccine for it a couple months after it hit Konoha."

"Is she?" The man's bushy eyebrows raised in surprise. "She sure did save a lot of lives, then."

"Yeah." Kiba smiled fondly for a second before he cleared his throat. "But yeah if you're interested I can give you all the information you need to communicate with my mom. Just tell her I told you about the pups and she'll be fine. The pups will be totally vaccinated and well. I'm Kiba, by the way." He went to hold his hand out for a handshake and then paused, seeing the barbecue sauce on his finger tips. "I'd shake your hand but, you know."

"No worries." The man waved it off with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Kiba, I'm Itaru. My daughter's name is Yasuki."

Kiba grinned and swiveled in his seat to look down at Yasuki, who was staring at him in surprise. "Well then, Yasuki, if you do get a dog you have to keep in mind that they're a huge responsibility. Feeding, watering, bathing...not to mention how much training it'll be if you want your dog to become a ninja with you, like Akamaru."

If the little girl's eyes could shine any brighter Kiba feared he'd die of adoration. She nodded eagerly, lip caught between her teeth. "Yes! I know! I'd take really good care of Akamaru's puppy!"

Kiba didn't waste too much time after that. He finished the ribs and made sure he cleaned his hands before giving Itaru a proper hand shake, and then he wrote down all the information the man would need to send a letter to Tsume. It warmed his heart a little knowing he was helping a little kid get her first dog. He'd grown up with dogs his whole life but the day he got Akamaru was more special than any other dog related memory he had. Akamaru had become  _his_  dog, _his_  responsibility.  _His best friend_.

He bid Itaru and Yasuki one more goodbye before he stepped out of the booth, making his way down the road with Akamaru trotting along side him. Kiba threw him a lopsided grin. "Look at you, belly rubs and free meat. You're getting so spoiled and we've only been here for an hour."

Akamaru had no complaints, yipping excitedly as he nudged Kiba along, before his head suddenly snapped up as he sniffed the air quickly. Kiba arched an eyebrow but before he could ask what was wrong Akamaru took off running down the road. Kiba blinked, stunned for a second, before he gasped and started running after him. "Akamaru! Wait up, you giant weirdo!"

Whatever scent Akamaru had caught must have really excited him because he didn't stop running even when Kiba called for him. Kiba couldn't really smell anything alarming, just the scent of food and sand and so, so many people as they ran through the crowded road. He could only imagine how ridiculous he looked, a visiting shinobi chasing after his suddenly much too excited dog through a crowded market street. At least Akamaru was careful not to knock down anyone, especially not any of the awestruck children in his path.

Akamaru bolted around a quick corner and for a second Kiba lost sight of him and when he rounded the corner himself, it was in time to see Akamaru tackle someone to the ground.  _Ah, shit_.

"Akamaru Inuzuka! You know better than that!" Kiba hissed as he ran over, throwing his arms around Akamaru's torso and starting to yank him off of the poor tackled stranger. "What's gotten into you? You know you're too big to throw yourself on anyone that isn't me or Naruto! You-"

"Kiba, it's fine!" The stranger laughed out loud, making Kiba pause just long enough for Akamaru to break free from his grasp, tail wagging like mad as he all but sat on the stranger on the ground. The stranger knew his name?

Kiba peered around the dog's body, eyes widening in surprise at the stranger who...well, wasn't a stranger at all. "Kankuro! Hey!"

Kankuro looked exactly as Kiba remembered he did from the last time he'd seen him, even still had the same face paint design from the war; maybe he wasn't going to change it up anymore. His hat was missing though, lying in the sand next to him after being knocked off when Akamaru had tackled him to the sand. His laughter was bubbling past his lips though as he pet Akamaru, trying to calm the excited animal down enough so that he could stand up. He looked up at Kiba from the ground, an amused eyebrow raised. "Akamaru scared the hell out of me, but I shouldn't even be surprised; Gaara said you were supposed to be dropping in soon."

"Yeah, guess Akamaru caught your scent and went nuts. Took off running." Kiba chuckled, reaching down to pick Kankuro's hat up from the ground.

"Well of course he did. Akamaru  _loves_  me, don't you boy?" Kankuro gushed in the god awful baby talk, kissing whatever part of Akamaru's head he could get to without fear of being absolutely coated in dog saliva.

Kiba snorted as he watched the two, shaking his head. "You're lucky he does, or him tackling you wouldn't be as fun as you apparently think it is."

"True." Kankuro snickered, gently shoving Akamaru off of himself and standing up. He dusted the sand off his clothes and took his hat back when Kiba held it out to him. "Thanks. You just got here then, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. Got a little sidetracked by food but now I'm about to head in and talk to Gaara." Kiba gestured to the Kazekage building behind the other. "He's in, yeah?"

"Yeah, he's in." Kankuro assured him. "I was about to head in too so I'll go in with you."

"Awesome."

Kiba let out a satisfied sigh when they stepped into the Kazekage building together, the air instantly five degrees cooler. He ran a hand through his dirty hair and smiled to himself. "Been a while since I've seen you. You weren't here the last few times I came through with my team in the winter."

"Yeah, I was out doing missions but Gaara told me about the times you guys came to visit." Kankuro replied, hands shoved into his pockets. "I was bummed that I missed you guys, we could have gotten drinks. It's been literal ages since I've seen you."

It wasn't like he and Kankuro had been really close but after everything had died down after the war, they'd become great friends. When Kankuro came to Konoha they almost always hung out together at least for a day or so. That had been a few years ago, though, before everything had settled down for good and the mess the war left behind was finally getting cleaned up. It'd been at least three years since Kiba had seen Kankuro in person. It was like taking a breath of fresh air, seeing an old friend after so long.

"Well while I'm here we can get a drink or something." Kiba nudged Kankuro with his elbow, grinning a bit. "I don't even know how long I'll be here anyways."

"Sounds good to me." The other agreed.

Kiba didn't even have to knock on the Kazekage's office door, or wait for someone to notify Gaara that he was here; Kankuro led him and Akamaru right in. "Gaara, I found a couple of strays outside that wanted to see you." He announced, standing to the side with Akamaru as Kiba approached Gaara's desk.

Kiba used to be terrified of Gaara but now, as those dark rimmed eyes landed on him and he saw those pale lips twitch into the smallest of smiles, Kiba felt an overwhelming comfort wash over him. He stopped in front of Gaara's desk, waving a little bit. "Hi, Gaara; it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you as well." Gaara murmured, leaning back in his chair. "Was your journey here alright?"

"Aside from the heat while crossing the desert, yeah, it was fine." Kiba nodded, taking a quick glance around the room. Gaara had the window open and his gourd sat underneath the window sill, close enough for him to grab if he had to. His desk was littered with papers and envelopes, a glass of water in the far corner of the desk where it couldn't get knocked over too easily.

"Kakashi told me you were coming here to locate somebody," Gaara's voice made Kiba look back at him. Gaara stood up from his chair and lifted one of the papers from his desk, reading over it for a moment. "He said it was a personal matter and didn't have to be rushed so I wasn't too concerned when he didn't include the name of the person you're looking for." Those green eyes flicked to Kiba curiously. "Tell me what you need from me, Kiba, please."

"Right. Ah..." Well, this was awkward. He and Gaara..weren't close at all, really. They didn't know personal or intimate information about each other, but he'd come too far  _now_  to screw stuff up because he felt awkward. Sighing softly he slid his backpack off so he could find the paper he'd be given by Sakura, stashed away in one of the smaller pockets. He fished it out and held it out to Gaara, suddenly unable to speak just yet.

Gaara took the paper and glanced at it, eyes going over it a couple of times. "Kenzo Teruhiko?"

"Yeah, that's who I'm looking for." Kiba told him, biting the inside of his cheek for a second. "He's my dad."

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction, just enough to be able to tell he was genuinely surprised. "Your dad?" He echoed as he looked at Kiba. "I...was unaware that your father was alive. I assumed he was deceased."

Kiba shrugged a bit. "Nah, he just bailed on us when I was little. I'm looking for him and Konoha records say he came here when he left. I was hoping he's either still here or you could at least find any information on where he might be now."

Gaara handed the paper back to Kiba and nodded a little bit. "The name isn't very familiar to me but I'll see what information I can find for you. It will take time, though. A day, perhaps two at most if he isn't here in Suna. Are you alright with waiting a little while?"

"Yeah, however long you need." Kiba didn't want to admit that the longer the wait the better, given the way his anxiety was already starting to build up at the thought of his dad being in the same village as him. "I don't have a time frame for this; Kakashi told me to take as long as I need to, but I'm hoping to make it back to Konoha in time for Naruto's wedding if it takes more than a couple days."

"Oh yes, Naruto's wedding." Gaara turned and made his way to a calendar that hung on the wall next to the window. "I nearly forgot to write that down; I received the invitation from Hinata this morning."

"You're going then, I assume?" Kiba cracked a small smile.

"Of course." Gaara scoffed. As if he'd miss  _Naruto's_  wedding. "Kankuro will be attending as well."

"Wouldn't miss that brat's wedding for anything in the world." The older man chimed from a few feet away, busily rubbing Akamaru's belly.

"We're both very excited." Gaara agreed, jotting down the wedding date on the correct day, two months from now. He turned back to Kiba and set his pen down on his desk. "I hope this doesn't take too long for you. I'll look through the records and see what I find. Have you made arrangements for your stay?"

"Ah...not really. I was just going to go to one of the Inns and-"

"No need." Gaara cut him off gently, shaking his head. "You can stay with Kankuro and I in our home. There is more than enough room."

"Even for Akamaru?" Kiba gestured towards his dog, a sheepish smile on his lips. "He's pretty big."

"Yes, there is room for Akamaru as well." Gaara assured with a small chuckle. "More than enough room, even. You're a friend and there's no issue with you staying with us."

Kiba wasn't one to turn down such hospitality and the fact that it came from Gaara of all people made him feel kind of special. Gaara had that affect on you, he'd learned from the few times they had interacted. Despite his obvious struggles to express himself he had no problems expressing how he felt for his friends. His friendly affections came in their own little ways, soft smiles, light heart comments, and offers of easy favors that he could do to make your life just a bit easier. He was entirely different than when Kiba had first met him.

Kiba had stepped aside to kneel next to Akamaru after agreeing to Gaara's offer, giving Kankuro his turn to speak. Akamaru wagged his tail happily as Kiba started rubbing his belly and Kiba glanced up to watch the two siblings across from him. He was a little nosy, after all, and curious to see why Kankuro had been coming to visit his brother, too.

Gaara sat back down at his desk, looking up at Kankuro who had come to stand in front of the red head's desk. "Did you enjoy your day teaching at the academy?"

"No." Kankuro scoffed as he crossed his arms, scowling a little bit. "It reminded me how much I don't like kids. Don't ever volunteer me to be a substitute teacher again or I might actually die."

"You're being dramatic." Gaara murmured. "I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you say."

"Gaara, a kid stole my  _hat_."

"From your head?"

"No, I set it on the front desk but still."

"You should know by now that children grab things, Kankuro."

Kankuro groaned loudly, looking towards Kiba with a small frown. "See this? This is him being mean. Don't ever let anyone tell you he can't be mean and petty." He turned back to Gaara. "You only made me do it because I embarrassed you at your last meeting."

"Perhaps." Gaara gave a very small shrug. "Did you learn your lesson?"

"I learned that you're  _mean_." Kankuro grunted, shaking his head. "But aside from the rude kids, it was fine. Their teacher will be back tomorrow and she's very thankful I was able to step in for the day."

"That's good." Gaara gave him a small nod before he picked up his pen, looking down at the papers on his desk. "Temari sent us letters, I left yours in your room at home since you were gone when they arrived."

"I'll read it tonight." Kankuro yawned a little bit. "You leaving anytime soon?"

"No, I've got a lot of paper work to go over." Gaara sounded kind of tired himself. The woes of being a Kage, Kiba knew. "I'll be home a bit late, I believe. Take Kiba to the house and don't worry about me. If I need you I'll send someone to get you."

"You're totally gonna miss dinner again." Kankuro sighed as he turned towards Kiba and Akamaru, gesturing for them to follow him. "Let's go you two; I'm sure you're both eager for a shower."

"You got that right." Kiba was grinning as he and Akamaru followed Kankuro out of the office, giving Gaara another wave as he passed his desk. With his hands shoved in his pockets and Akamaru trotting at his side, Kiba finally let lose a jaw cracking yawn. "I might just totally crash after Akamaru and I get cleaned up, honestly."

"Don't blame you." The other chuckled softly. "You kind of look like shit, I was trying to be nice and not say anything. A shower and sleep is gonna do wonders for you both. You said you grabbed food on the way in didn't you?"

"Yeah, these really good ribs from this guy in the center of the shopping area." Kiba replied. "They were awesome."

"Was it Itaru?"

"Yeah, that guy! He's a sweet man."

"Yeah, Gaara and I visit him a lot." Kankuro cracked a small smile as he looked over at Kiba. "He's a great guy. Lost his wife in the war when his daughter was just a baby. Been raising her all on his own."

"Definitely not an easy thing to do." Kiba would know, at least a little bit. "I was a little surprised that Gaara offered to let me stay with you guys. I'd expect him to make that offer to someone like Naruto, or maybe Sakura, but not me."

"Wait, what?" Kankuro paused mid-step, looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Kiba, Gaara literally loves you. All of you. I mean he's still a little on the rocks about Sasuke, sure, but the rest of you he totally adores. I know he isn't the most expressive guy but take it from me; he was happy to know there was something he could help you with."

As nice as it was to hear it did...strike Kiba as just a little odd. "I didn't think he cared much for me. When did that happen?" He wondered as they started walking again, turning down a narrow hallway.

"Well...I mean I think it helps that you're a good friend of mine." Kankuro admitted, shrugging a little bit. "You're the guy I spent the most time with in Konoha every time we'd visit. Gaara's pretty much married to the idea that we're best friends."

"Wow, you make it sound like being my best friend would be awful." Kiba scowled playfully. "I showed you a damn good time every visit you made to Konoha!"

"That you did." Kankuro snickered a little bit as he led Kiba through another door.

Much like the Hokage in Konoha, the Kazekage's home residence wasn't too far from the Kazekage office building. The Kazekage's house was on the same grounds, separated by an elegant, iron gate behind the office building. It was a two story-tall, rounded building the color of sand, like most of the other buildings were. Kankuro led Kiba and Akamaru through the front door, turning to face them with his hands on his hips.

"Alright. If you're gonna bathe Akamaru, I suggest you use the bathtub down here on the first floor." He directed him, flicking his hand in the direction of the hallway. "The tub's deep and spacious and we have a ton of shampoo and soaps. For your shower, use the upstairs one. You can leave your dirty clothes by the door in the hall and I'll pick them up to wash them. If you need clothes to sleep in you can pop into my room and steal some."

"I've got clothes to sleep in," Kiba assured him as he glanced around. Unlike his own house where his mother had pictures of his and Hana's childhood all over, Kankuro and Gaara's pictures on the walls were recent. Not that he blamed them; he was sure there weren't many childhood pictures of them, given the way they had grown up. He glanced back at Kankuro. "Akamaru's hair might clog up your bathtub drain so if it does let me know and I'll clean it out."

"Don't worry about it. Go get cleaned up."

The next hour and a half felt like a blur after that. Kiba bathed Akamaru in the down stairs tub, scrubbing the sand out of his fur and from between his toes with shampoo that smelled like vanilla. He dried him off with some towels Kankuro had left by the door for him, tattered and ripped towels that the smell of wet dog couldn't ruin anymore. Then, when he was satisfied with how dry he had gotten him, he released Akamaru to run around the house while he went and showered himself. The hot water, the floral smelling shampoo, the softness of the towel he'd been given and the way his night clothes rubbed against his skin all felt so good he was worried he'd melt and die on the spot. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he collapsed onto the bed in the guest room he was staying in.

The exhaustion was settling in his bones and he realized his eyes were fluttering shut a few seconds too late; he fell asleep with out even crawling under the blankets, pressing his face into the plush pillow.

He dreamt of a man without a face, with the sound of howling desert winds deafening to his ears.

**Author's Note:**

> comments? Thoughts? some kudos, perhaps?  
> You can follow me on [Tumblr](http://my-tatteredwingsof-freedom.tumblr.com/)


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